I was in a shopping mall, so I decided to go and get a cup of coffee. As I was making my way to the coffee shop, I noticed an old gentleman poorly dressed sitting near the shop. I knew from the first sight that he needed help. He had a little lunch in front of him and was enjoying it. It was clear that he had a problem with his right eye. I then joined the line and waited to be served.

    Then it happened. One of the most beautiful gestures(姿态) I had ever seen in my life. There was a young man in front of me in the line who was also waiting to be served. The next thing I knew was that the young man handed the waitress(女服务员) 20 dollars and requested a glass of juice as a favor(善行). The waitress looked at the young man a little perplexed, not fully understanding the request. That was when the young man asked her to give the juice to the old gentleman eating his lunch outside, as well as the change(零钱) from the 20 dollars. The young man also told her that he would be watching every second so that she would be completely safe. Then there was a wonderful exchange between the waitress and the old man. I only wished I could take a photo of the smiles on both of their faces.

As I was considering this event later, I wondered why the young man didn't perform this act of kindness himself. Maybe he was hoping that this act of kindness might inspire(激励) others to do something for this old man as well.

D

    Linda was Tara's best friend before, but now things are different. Tara is a member of Purple Girls Club and they have some rules about who they can be friends with. Linda isn't very pretty and doesn't wear cool clothes. So she can't be in their club. Now Tara is making a name list for her party, and she decides not to invite Linda.

    “Tara, come here.” her mother calls from the living room. Tara goes to her mother and sees the school report card in her hands.

    “Tara, what's the matter with you? You have failed(不及格)math and English and you did badly in all of your other subjects. You were such a good student before!”

    Tara sees the disappointment in her mom's eyes. She feels terrible. The activities of Purple Girls Club leave her very little time for studies. The girls get together almost daily for movies, shopping and surfing the Internet. She calls every friend in the club and asks them to help her. But they all refuse(拒绝）and say, “Who cares about studies now?” This makes Tara even sadder.

    Later, Tam's mom takes her to Linda's house across the street. Tara says sorry and Linda is glad to have her friend back. She happily helps Tara with her studies.

    Tara now has a new rule for friendship and it is that a friend that lends a helping hand is a true friend.

    When I was a kid, I often played basketball. So I was thin but healthy. When l was about 15, I stopped playing basketball. I also started to drink a lot of drinks high in sugar and eat much more than before. Between 15 and 17, I put on a lot of weight-about 50 kg.

    I didn't know how big I was until I saw a photo one day. In the photo, I had a fat neck and my stomach was out there. I hated the way I looked. I knew I needed to lose some weight.

    I started to drink only water, and eat less and healthier. I ate mainly vegetables and only one piece of meat every day, and stayed away from sugar.

    I also started to exercise. Every day, I ran for 30 minutes first, and then I did some push-ups (俯卧撑) for 10 minutes. I also jumped rope for 15 minutes every day.

    I kept exercising the whole winter. When March came, many people said to me, "Oh, Dave, you've been a different person!"

    It was true. I had lost 25 kg in three months. I liked taking photos, and I noticed the difference in my looks.

    I loved the three months. It felt good to lose weight, and it felt even better to set a goal (目标) and go for it.

By Anna Matteo

28 January, 2019

    A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods for two days is now safe at home with his family. But Casey Hathaway told his rescuers (救援者) that he was not alone in the rainy, freezing cold woods. He said he was with a friend — a bear.

    The child went missing on January 22 while playing with friends near his grandmother's house in North Carolina. When the other children returned but Casey did not, the family searched the area for almost an hour before calling the police.

    Police formed a search team to look for the young boy in the nearby woods. But two days went by and—no Casey.

    Then on January 24, someone called the police saying he heard a child crying in the woods. Police followed up on the information and found Casey at about 9:30 that night. He was in good health.

    Casey told the rescuers he had hung out with a black bear for two days, a bear he called his "friend".

    The police officer Chip Hughes spoke with reporters from several news agencies. He said Casey did not say how he could survive in the woods for two days in the cold, rainy weather. "However," the police officer said, "he did say he had a friend in the woods that was a bear with him."

    Hundreds of people helped in the search and rescue efforts, including some 600 volunteers, police and members of the army. Doctors at the medical center gave Casey some examination. He was then sent to his family on January 25.

    His mother talked with reporters and thanked everyone who joined the search for her son. "We just want to tell everybody that we're very thankful that you took the time out to search for Casey," said his mother. "He is up and talking He's already asked to watch cartoons."

    When I saw Ronny for the first time, he looked like other kids in the first-grade classroom where I volunteered as a Reading Mom. However, he usually arrived at school wearing old clothes.

    On the day when it was Ronny's turn to read. He sat very close to me. I watched his fingers move slowly under each letter as "he tried to speak out "Bud the Sub". It sounded more like "Baw Daw Saw" when he said it because of his difficulty with the alphabet (字母).

    The year passed quickly and Ronny had made some progress but he was still below the level of grade. A few weeks before the school year ended, I held an award(颁奖) ceremony. I had gifts and certificates(证书) for everyone. It took me a while to think about which Ronny fit; I believed the gift could cheer him up. I finally decided on "The Most Progressive Reader". I showed his certificate and a book.

    A few days later, I saw Ronny reading the book when I went back to the school. His teacher said, "He hasn't put that book down. That's the first book he's ever owned. "

    Fighting back tears(眼泪) I came near Ronny and asked, "Will you read me your book, Ronny?" He nodded.

    And then, for the next few minutes, he read to me more smoothly than I'd ever thought. When he finished reading, Ronny closed his book and said, "Good book."

    At that moment, I knew I should do what an author(作家) had done-care children and make them excellent.

    It is school time again, a new start of a new period.

    You are, probably feeling excited and a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of the new things, new teachers, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these new worries only stay for a little while.

    On your first day, most teachers start the school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the things you'll do that year. Maybe you'll have a chance to tell something about yourselves to the others of the class. The most important thing for you is to learn new rules and follow them. After all, rules can make the school life better. Besides, the most exciting thing for you is to meet new friends in a new place. The first day of school doesn't sound bad, but there is some advice for you to make you a better person, such as developing good learning habits, making a good plan and taking your new schoolwork seriously. The last but not the least is to have fun in your new school.

    As the saying goes: Good beginning is half done.